title: Epicardial fat thickness correlates with carotid intima-media thickness, arterial stiffness, and cardiac geometry in children and adolescents.
abstract: To determine the association between epicardial fat thickness and carotid arterial stiffness, carotid intima-media thickness (CMIT), left atrial (LA) volume, and left-ventricular (LV) geometry parameters in obese children and adolescents compared with controls. A case-control study was performed in 96 children and adolescents (obese n = 66, controls n = 30) age 9-16 years old (38 female and 58 male, mean age 11.7 ± 2.8 years) undergoing transthoracic echocardiography and carotid artery ultrasound. Clinical, anthropometric, and biochemical determinations were also recorded. Epicardial fat thickness (2.76 ± 1.2 vs. 1.36 ± 0.7 mm, p < 0.001), LA volume (35.7 ± 13.2 vs. 28.9 ± 9.8 mL, p = 0.008), LV mass (118.3 ± 38.6 vs. 96.4 ± 35.4 mL, p = 0.008), CIMT (0.48 ± 0.07 vs. 0.44 ± 0.05 mm, p = 0.019), and local pulse wave velocity (LPWV; 3.7 ± 0.5 vs. 3.2 ± 0.4 m/seg, p = 0.007) were significantly increased in obese children and adolescents compared with controls. Epicardial fat showed a significant and positive correlation with LA volume, LV mass, and LPWV as well as a significant and independent association with increased CIMT (odds ratio (OR) = 3.19 [1.88-7.99], p = 0.005) in the study population. Epicardial fat thickness is linked to obesity, carotid subclinical atherosclerosis, and cardiac geometry parameters and might be a useful tool for the cardiovascular risk stratification in children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Hospital Manuel Fajardo, Havana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Julio Oscar
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Cabrera-Rego
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iacobellis
authors.forename: José Arcides
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Castillo-Herrera
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valiente-Mustelier
authors.forename: Julio C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gandarilla-Sarmientos
authors.forename: Silvia María
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Marín-Juliá
authors.forename: Juliette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Navarrete-Cabrera
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000473:pathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology*; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D059289:Vascular Stiffness